Seumas MacManus

As these excerpts from the Notre Dame Scholastic indicate,
Seumas MacManus frequently visited Notre Dame and often told stories
instead of lecturing. The student reviewers sometimes seem to regard
the Irish fairy tales he told as a bit too childish for them. Their
professors probably enjoyed them more.

A Pleasant Hour with a Noted Irish Story-Teller.

Notre Dame Scholastic, 6 February 1904 (37:307).

Seumas MacManus from Donegal, the author of several volumes of stories
and a frequent contributor to many of the leading American magazines,
addressed the students last Wednesday in Washington Hall. His subject,
"Irish Wit and Humor," seldom has received happier treatment. He took
us for an hour or more to Mount Charles, Donegal, introducing us the
while to "Father Dan," "Hughey McGarrity," "The Postmistress" and the
simple, happy peasantry and fisherfolk that dwell around Inver Bay. We
also made a short stay with him at the wake, dance, and wedding, and
our guide was so well informed and the excursion so enjoyable that the
time seemed to pass with dying feet.

A story-teller and proud of it is Seumas MacManus. He has lived in
Donegal all his life. As a boy he attended the village school, and
later, before publishers smiled on him, he taught in the same sacred
institution. He is a young, athletic-looking man with a healthy glow on
his cheeks and the peculiar Ulster brogue. He has a fine stage
presence, makes no attempt at oratory, but talks in a lively
conversational strain, illustrating his remarks by story and incident
of which he seems to have an inexhaustible supply.

In the course of his address he said that Ireland is both
metaphorically and literally a country of smiles and tears. The people
in general are not rich, but they are not unhappy, and God has blessed
them with great faith and ever present hope. The locality where he
lived and the pursuits and pastimes of its inhabitants he portrayed
very graphically. There the people follow agriculture, or depend on the
sea for a living and in the evening gather at a dance or sing songs or
tell stories at the fireside. He soon gave us the impression that the
happy moments in their lives far outnumbered the sad ones, for his
stories of their everyday doings were blended with sunshine and evoked
many a laugh from the audience. He took advantage of the opportunity to
correct the too prevalent and mistaken opinion that the people of
Ulster are torn by religious dissension, and showed that except in a
few localities at certain periods of the year Ulster men were good
friends. The old hates and feuds are rapidly becoming extinct and the
day is not far off when members of all creeds will be bound in good
fellowship and love for Ireland. From his own experience of the Donegal
folk he gave capital examples of wit and humor, all of which were
keenly relished by his listeners. His address furnished amusement and
instruction to the entire audience, while it was a rare treat to those
of Irish birth or sympathy.

In conversation Mr. MacManus is genial, interesting and unaffected. He
talks in an easy, fluent manner, his chief charm obviously being that
he is a part of the life he so well describes. He is enthusiastic in
his reference to the work of the Gaelic League, and though he modestly
disclaims his right to any share of the credit due that body, his
unstinted praise of Douglas Hyde, Lady Gregory, Dr. Sigerson, W. B.
Yeats and other tireless workers dear to the Irish heart, won our
silent admiration.

In the bit of personal history which we induced him to give us we
learned that at eighteen he began to write for the Dublin magazines.
His first book appeared in '93, and since then he has published
numerous volumes. For the most part his writings in prose and verse
reflect the quaint and pathetic folklore which he absorbed at the
wakes, weddings and patterns in "droll Donegal." Happy for him and
for his readers that the spiritual enters so largely into his work. He
has nothing to do with the brutal materialism found among the very poor
and vicious in great cities which too often furnish morbid story-tellers
with an excuse to cry out their wares. The simple, almost sinless lives
of his own people in the highlands of Donegal, their struggles,
stories, smiles and sighs are his theme.

Like most people, Seumas MacManus has had a measure of sorrow. In '93
he gave up teaching for story-telling, his favorite art, and sometime
later married the gifted and beautiful Miss Anna Johnson who, with
another talented Belfast lady, Miss Alice Milligan, edited for some
years the foremost national literary magazine in Ulster. Mrs. MacManus,
who is best known to the public by her pen-name, "Ethna Carbery," and
by her two charming volumes of verse, "The Passionate Heart" and "The
Four Winds of Erin," died in 1902. Her death blighted the life of her
husband and brought grief and void to the ranks of Irish literati. And
so Seumas MacManus, like his native land, has known both smiles and
tears.

Patrick J. MacDonough. Scholastic.

A Teller of Irish Tales

Notre Dame Scholastic, 23 March 1904 (37:423).

THE atmosphere wherein is nourished the recently rejuvenated Irish
litterateurs is truly lifting the fogs that have long denied Ireland
all literary refraction, the sparkle and vivacity of Irish personality.
The Irish tale, no less than the Irish poem, has grown as the rose in
the night scattering its fragrance on the four winds and leading the
lovers of freshness, tint and perfection to a satisfaction afforded by
no other garden of the world. Ireland is the land of tales as America
is the home of the anecdote; its people is a taletelling race whose
environments create a key that lends itself readily to the imaginative
and writer of natural fantasies. The Irish have ever rocked the cradle
of the fanciful and stood sponsors to the natural touch of fiction.
Thatched roofs and smoke-stained rooms have ever been those of castles
wherein rainbowed sprites, whom the heaviest heel of oppression could
not crush, have plucked the chords of "Inspiration's Lyre."

In every nook and turn of life; each crag and cranny; every natural
phenomenon and unnatural belief, has its poetic aspect which appeals to
the Irish imagination. Fairy songs ride the evening breezes, and the
Banshee's cry dispels the clouds of night.

History, biography, oratory and, in fact, the truth, beautiful though
solid, have their advocates who would scarcely free fiction from that
Puritanical criticism which to-day begins to weaken. But ever have we
been attracted towards the lighter vein, the brighter strata in the
mines of literature, and it is natural then that we are attracted to
Mr. Seumas MacManus, whose tales, bubbling over with the songsters of
the air and beauties of the field and laughter of the simple country
folk, have aroused the "Sleeping Beauty" from a neglected and overgrown
palace.

With the re-entry of the "old muse," as Mr. Yeats would have it, the
tale-teller and his accompaniments have become a factor in the field of
art. Neither the drama nor yet the novel or romance completely covers
the domain of tale-teller; it is distinctly Irish tale-telling such as
a reading people tends to obliterate and such as a theatrical mind
dispels. The tale-teller of Donegal wins our admiration, not because he
has offered us many Irish sketches and touches of folklore. We complain
rather that his pen is still too unworn. Mr. MacManus' strong point
does not lie in the quantity or variety of his tales nor in the
originality of his truly Irish imagination; neither indeed does he
attribute his army of followers to his verse -- and some of the verse
is pretty and musical. What we consider more vitally essential than
these natal attributes is that Mr. MacManus gives us a tale in the
simplicity of realness, emitting the vapors of the Irish heath, even
when the last drop of oil climbs the wick of the late-burning kitchen
lamp. Naturalness, simplicity and truth welded in humor's closest bonds
hinges that swung open the door of foreign recognition -- are what made
MacManus the teller of Irish tales that he is. These are the
qualities that render his children's tales with their fairies and
goblins interesting to the old and his character sketches and verses,
intended for maturer minds, readable on the rug before the hearth.

His printed volumes are not many. The first widely recognized one bore
his name into the arena in 1893. "Through the Turf Smoke," though
comparatively young is as well known as many age-stained classics;
while "A Lad of the O'Friels" is perhaps the most popular on account of
its consistency of character no less than the high tide of unity, humor
and animation.

Dinny O'Friel, whose line of life ran in channel, other than did those
of the other mountain lads, is the centre around whom swing the varied
proofs of the author's power of characterization. "Toal a-Gallagher,"
the "Widow's Pat" and "Corney Higerty" are unrivalled by the Mulvaney
Trio. They run through the book like the tinkle of sleighbells through
the night; Toal, his wife and apprentice, Bill Brogan, the Widow's Pat
and his charge Nuala, whose gentleness opposes to a point characters
that differ from one another in that indefinable mannerism which
compels them to step out of the page when the leaf is ttirned, and
Corney Higerty, the pensioner, petted and pestered, the envy of all on
pension day, lead the attention captive through the series of
continuous tales.

Mr. Macmanus' style, after a personal chat, impresses its spontaniety
more forcibly than does the mere perusal of his writings. He writes as
he talks: easy and fluent, careful in detail and accurate in
description. "The Road to the Fair," "Corney's Pension," "The Big Fair"
and its dissipation raise themselves on the merits of naturalness above
the other tales that make up the book. Perhaps he reaches his real
level when he combines the attributes of all his tales in that of "The
Priest's Boy."

Like Dinny O'Friel, Mr. MacManus was always an "eager auditor when the
affairs of the nation or 'Knockagar' were discussed." So truly has he
given us the lore of these folk; so naturally has he portrayed their
history and so interestingly has he told their tales that in him has
come true the prediction that Ellen Burns made of Dinny O'Friel, that
he was such a dreamer of dreams that Knockagar would some day be proud
of him.

His latest book, "The Red Poacher," strengthens his lease on the
tale-teller's sceptre which he has swayed since, as a young neophyte,
he turned over the "key" to contribute his share towards making Donegal
an attractive beam in the reader's eye. With the advent of his promised
book of poems, poems so musical, natural and entertaining that they
seem to rush one another into your heart, he will claim as his realm
two thrones in the hearts of a nature-loving, spiritual-seeking reading
public.

Notre Dame Scholastic, 13 April 1907 (40:447).

On Thursday, April 4th, we again had the
privilege of listening to the famed author
and lecturer from Donegal, Seumas MacManus.
This gifted writer and brilliant conversationalist
-- for Mr. MacManus makes
no attempt at oratory -- was with us three
years ago, and charmed his hearers then,
as well as convulsed them with laughter,
by his delightful discourse on the wit and
humor of his people. The subject of his
recent talk was on the "Fairy Tales and
Folklore of Ireland." In these no people
are richer than the Irish. No one could
better unfold the hearts of the simple
peasant people of Donegal and Inver Bay
than did Mr. MacManus. Under his masterly
power of portrayal the existence of these
"gentle folk," as the Irish peasantry love
to call the nymphs and fairies, become
almost real. On the following day he gave
an informal lecture to the collegiate students
of English on the poets of Ireland. He
varied his discourse by reading one or two
of the best poems composed by the persons
of whom he spoke. his own poetic abilities
rendered his readings doublv interesting
and appreciated. In his conversation, Mr.
MacManus is genial, interesting and unaffected.
He deeply loves his people, and his
principal charm, obviously, is that he is
part of the life he so well describes.

Lectures by Seumas MacManus

Notre Dame Scholastic, 10 October 1908 (42:76).

Mr. Senmas MacManus, whose droll tales
of Irish folklore need no comment, is to
have charge of our English classes for one
month. He will take the following subjects
for his talks:

The Making of a Short Story.

The Making of a Novel.

The Making of a Play.

The Making of a Poem.

Marketing, Literature and Book Publishing

A Writer's Experience.

Early Irish Literature.

Folklore.

Modern Irish Literature.

The Irish Revival.

Present-Day Irish Poets.

What to Read and How to Read.

Modern Movements in Fiction.

Studies in Contemporary Literature.

As Mr. MacManus has himself done distinguished
work in the short story, the play
and the poem, this series of lectures ought
to prove interesting. When Mr. MacManus
talks in his slipper, so to speak, it is
expected he will be more charming than he
was last year. The course will begin with
three sessions next week, after which there
will be a lapse before the rest of the program
is resumed.

...
Seumas MacManus gave the last lecture
of his course yesterday afternoon. He has
been delivering them at the rate of three a
week for the last month, using his own
field of literature chiefly as subject-matter.
Throughout the program the personal eleinent in
the man himself and that air of
fresh simplicity which always marks the
cultured Irishman, were most pronounced,
and added not a little to the enjoyment of
his talks. Each evening for an hour and a
half he has kept the members of the collegiate
English department listening to his
discourses, and now that he is soon to leave
for new fields, he may rest assured that,
although he is gone, his name will long be
remembered in the hearts of those who
heard him, and that he will bear with him
the gratitude of all who attended the lectures.

Lecture by Seumas MacManus

Notre Dame Scholastic, 12 February 1910 (43:309).

Mr. Seumas MacManus, the popular Irish
littérateur and lecturer, who was with the
English classes for a series of lectures last
year, visited the University and lectured on
Ireland and Irish scenery last Tuesday, Feb.
8. The lecture was illustrate'd with views of
Ireland's lakes and vales, the beauty' spots
of the Green Isle that have made it the
inspired dream of poets through the centuries.
The charm of intimacy made the
lecture doubly worth while. To those who
are familiar with Mr. MacManus' work it
suffices to say that this lecture was pronounced
the most entertaining that he has
ever delivered at the University. We hope
to greet him soon again.

Seumas MacManus in Folk Lore

Notre Dame Scholastic, 4 February 1911 (44:275).

Mr. Seumas MacManus told some wild and
wonderful tales that tested the credulity of a
rather slim audience Thursday evening, January 20.
The Carrollites proved the best listeners
and seemed to enjoy the tales very
much. The older members of the audience
were inclined to take the tales too literally, and
appeared to question seriously a number of
statements. . . .

Notre Dame Scholastic, 17 May 1919 (52:480).

Mr. Seumas MacManus, LL.D., '17,
writes: "I am putting before me the task of
compiling in popular form "The Story of the
Irish Race," a book that will be both a history
of Ireland and a history of the race. I want to
try to make it attractive, as history is too
often unattractive, to make it (what it really
is), more readable, more interesting, more
gripping, even to the average reader, than any
novel." The SCHOLASTIC wishes the noted
writer abundant success in his noble undertaking
and hopes that his forthcoming book will be
a "best-seller." It will not be published, we
understand, before next fall.

Seamus MacManus Gives Interesting Lecture

Notre Dame Scholastic, 7 December 1934 (68:11:2).

"Ireland is the greatest story-telling
country in the world" -- thus did
Seumas MacManus, famed Irish lecturer
and author, preface his talk in
the Engineering Building, on December 3.

His opening statement was proven
in a most delightful and interesting
manner by the recitation of a few
typical folk-tales, which, he said,
"have been transmitted through thousands
of years by word of mouth,
from generation to generation." Proof
of their antiquity lies in their
coincidence all over the world.

Mr. MacManus disclosed that he
has been a shanachie, or story-teller,
since he was seven years old. He
accumulated his rich store of legends
by listening to the old shanachies of
his birthplace, County Donegal. On
winter nights, the people gathered in
cottages, by a peat fire, and regaled
one another with ancient stories. It
was from these assemblies that Mr.
MacManus acquired his fund of tales.

A sentimental, deep-rooted account
of the presence of fairies, or 'gentle
people,' as they are called in Ireland,
was given by the speaker, who repeated
the belief of the Irish that the
sprites are angels who were neutral
during the conflict between Lucifer
and Michael the Archangel; the
fairies could neither be punished nor
rewarded at the end of the battle, so
they were exiled from Heaven. They
chose Ireland as the next best dwelling-place.

"At times of story-telling," said
Mr. MacManus, "all Irish people are
children -- from the age of four to
fourscore." No matter how often a
tale has been repeated, neither the
listeners nor the story-teller ever lose
their interest or enjoyment. The
explanation is simple: with the Irish.
story-telling is an art that has been
fostered and developed for centuries.

As Mr. MacManus regretfully admitted,
"The world lost something
that it may never recover when it
lost the art of story-telling."